Cardiff Airport hosts special Qatar visitors

Friday afternoon saw two special visitors arrive at Cardiff Airport from The Qatar Emiri Air Force.

Arriving in from Paris Le Bourget and London Gatwick respectively, were two Boeing C17 Globemaster III’s.

A7-MAN arrived first touching down at around 15:20hrs (local time) after flying from Le Bourget. This was shortly followed by A7-MAC which had been at London Gatwick since yesterday.

C17 Globemaster III landing at Cardiff Airport (Image: Philip Dawson)

Although the exact nature of the visit had not been disclosed, Cardiff Airport does regularly play host to Air Force aircraft for training purposes.

The Boeing C17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was originally designed for the United States Air Force.

The ability to carry loads of up to 77 tonnes and operate in rough field conditions made the C17 popular with Air Forces around the world. There are currently 279 of the type in service with 8 countries.

The Qatar Emiri Air Force is the air arm of the armed forces of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar.

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Nick is the senior reporter and editor at UK Aviation News as well as working freelance elsewhere. He has his finger firmly on the pulse on Aviation, not only in the UK but worldwide. Nick has been asked to speak in a professional capacity on LBC, Heart and other broadcast networks.